A known vehicle is equipped with a roof that is changeable between a deployed state where a vehicle interior space is covered and a stored state where a luggage room provided at a rear of the vehicle is used as a storage compartment of the roof.
The aforementioned vehicle includes pillar portions that are provided at both left and right sides of a rear window of the roof in a width direction of the vehicle and that extend in a vertical direction of the vehicle. In a case where the roof is in the stored state, a clearance originally covered by a lower end of the pillar portion and penetrating through the luggage room is covered by a panel member. That is, in a case where the roof is in the stored state, an improved appearance of the vehicle is ensured by the panel member. In order to return the roof from the stored state to the deployed state, a panel moving mechanism of a roof opening and closing apparatus for a vehicle is provided to store the panel member in the luggage room.
A mechanical unit of the aforementioned panel moving mechanism is attached to a vehicle body within the luggage room. When the roof is deployed or stored in the luggage room, the panel member is positioned within the luggage room in such a way that the panel member is prevented from interfering with the roof. After completion of the storage of the roof in the luggage room, the panel member is moved to a position where the pillar portion is provided when the roof is in the deployed state by means of an operation of the panel moving mechanism. Such panel moving mechanism is disclosed in DE10132547B4.
However, according to the panel moving mechanism disclosed in DE1013247B4, an area and a shape of the panel member is restricted so as to prevent the interference between the panel member and the roof within a limited space of the luggage room. As a result, an effect for ensuring the improved appearance of the vehicle may not be adequately achieved.
A need thus exists for a roof opening and closing apparatus for a vehicle which is not susceptible to the drawback mentioned above.